Sherry Poole will be the next principal at Hoover High School in Des Moines, taking over from Kathie Danielson, who is retiring after this school year.

A former Boone police officer, Poole made the transition to education nearly two decades ago. She’s served Des Moines Public Schools in many roles, including teacher, instructional coach and building leader. She's currently the school improvement leader at East High School.

She previously worked as a curriculum consultant for the George Lucas Educational Foundation, where she designed and re-designed curriculum similar to the International Baccalaureate World School programming at Hoover.

“Sherry Poole’s path into leadership has been paved with doing what is right for all students, continually looking through the lens of equity, working hard, building relationships and being fully present for the community she serves,” Superintendent Thomas Ahart said in a news release. “She will find herself at home as the new leader of Iowa’s most diverse high school.”

Poole holds a master’s degree in education from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and a master’s in education administration from Iowa State University.

“I believe that a good leader leads with patience, integrity and passion,” she said. “I hold the conviction it is my obligation as a leader to make all the decisions according to what is right and just for the students, staff and community I serve.”